


An Imitation of Love

by LiliVirgo



Series: Sokka/Zuko Week 2021 [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 08:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30036105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiliVirgo/pseuds/LiliVirgo
Summary: Sokka/Zuko week: Day 1, Fake datingSokka and Zuko keep being told they have to find a partner - they come up with a creative solution.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Sokka/Zuko Week 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2209554
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	An Imitation of Love

**Day 1: March 14th** ~~~~

~~Swords~~ /// **Fake Dating**

“They just keep insisting on shoving anyone of vague nobility in front of me.” Zuko groaned.

“Wow, they hold out for just nobility with you?” Sokka mocked back. 

The two of them were sat laid out in Zuko’s chambers. Both of their hair was down and they were lounging in the evening - or night, by this point, tired from negotiations and meetings and glad it was the end of the working week. 

“Well, you know the fire nation. I can’t help but feel they hope I’ll go more traditional once married.” 

“It isn’t like there’s much nobility in the Southern Water Tribe, I suppose.” Sokka conceded.

“Well, that too.” Zuko still felt slightly awkward over it all. He recalled the first trip to the Southern Water Tribe - Kanna had very much made him work for his crimes, but now Sokka’s family was more his family than Ozai and Azula had ever been. 

“Oh cheer up. I just wish there was some way for us to get them off our backs. We’re barely 21 - lots of time to be young.” Sokka sighed. 

“They’d leave us alone if we weren’t single. Maybe Suki would be up for rekindling the flame?” Zuko teased. It was no longer a sore subject for Sokka so the shorter man smiled in response.

“Imagine.” Sokka laughed. Then paused in his laughter. Zuko lifted his head up to check if his friend was okay. “Imagine…” He repeated.

“Sokka? You have your plan guy face on.” 

“Fake a partner… it could work.” Sokka mused. 

“What?”

“What if we pretended to date people. Then they may leave us alone.”

“Sokka. I’m the Firelord and you’re the next in line to Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.”

“Yeah - that’s why they keep shoving people in front of our faces, sweetheart.” Sokka teased.

“ _ Sokka _ .” Zuko reprimanded. “They’d expect people to show up to our various engagements, parties. We can’t just pretend to know someone.”

“I guess we better find people then.” Sokka stood up abruptly, walking over to Zuko flopped on the bed and pulled him up. “Come on. Let’s go into the city.”

Zuko knew it was fruitless to argue - Sokka had his determined face on, the one he loved to see in meetings when the old ministers became stubborn. It was Sokka’s ‘I will put you in your place if you argue’ face. Zuko didn’t want to argue against that face. Within the hour they were dressed in nice but humble clothes. They would be identified as nobility but Zuko hoped the hair styled over his scar may detract from him being recognised as the Firelord. 

Sokka sat him down in the pub they had entered, told him to wait there and went up to the bar. While he twiddled his thumbs, he looked around at him. It was very rare for him to end up in the city and almost unheard of for it to not be an official announcement. He looked around at the groups of people smiling and laughing, people his age - people he should know, if he was anything but the Firelord. Sokka came back smiling with two drinks in hand.

“Two for one cocktails. Which do you prefer?” He asked, pushing both cocktails towards Zuko, who took two tentative sips. 

“Both are nice. What are they?” 

“I’ll take this one then.” Sokka smiled, pulling the bluer one towards him. “This one is a Blue Moon Bay, that’s a Long Ember Island.” 

Zuko nodded in response and took a large gulp of the drink. 

“So.” He said, looking at Sokka.

“So?”

“Why are we here?”

“To find fake partners!” Sokka grinned. 

“What?!” Zuko gasped, glad he was merely about to take a sip. 

“Well it is a genius idea.” Sokka stated, lounging out against the seat. 

“Sokka.”

“Yes, sweetheart?” Sokka responded with his teasing pet name, fluttering his eyelashes.

“This is ridiculous.” Instead of responding, Sokka just laughed, finished his drink and went back up to the bar. 

Zuko slumped back, sipping on the drink in front of him, wondering how the media outlets would take the news that their Firelord was so undateable. Yet again, before he could get too in his own head, Sokka was placing a drink in front of him, encouraging him to finish his first one in a gulp. As he placed his drink down, he noticed two girls following Sokka had begun to squeeze onto their table. 

“Hi?” He asked, unsure.

“These lovely ladies were at the bar and I overheard them discussing the changes to all the new festivals the Firelord’s done.” Sokka winked at him at that, Zuko felt a blush rise on his cheeks. “I mentioned how much I enjoyed the dancing.”

“I didn’t know how great dancing was.” The girl on Zuko’s side began to gush. “When the Avatar showed everyone, I thought I’d faint with excitement!” She squealed. 

“The Avatar? Wow.” Sokka said, smirking. 

“Yeah, we were at the Palace’s celebration. It was amazing.” The girl on Sokka’s side spoke up. “Our families aren’t poor but we were never high up enough to be around all the fancy stuff during the war. Not that much happened other than war meetings anyway.” She added. 

“Nice of the Firelord to open the gates.” Sokka commented, winking at Zuko probably less discreetly than Sokka himself thought. 

Zuko felt himself blush. He had no idea why Sokka was doing this. He didn’t want to fake date these girls. He didn’t want to be here. He felt awkward around people his own age and always had. He finished his drink in one motion. 

“So, what are your plans for tonight?” Sokka was asking the girls now.

“Not sure, Qian and I are kind of celebrating.” The girl next to Zuko said. 

“Xu and I got permission from our father’s to continue our education.” The girl opposite, Qian, smiled.

“Wow, well done both.” Sokka grinned.

“Yeah, amazing.”

“The Fire Nation’s really changing for the better.” Qian gushed. “My Aunt’s marrying her girlfriend next week, my brother’s school are encouraging them to take up the arts and my mother’s allowed to buy large things without permission from my father.” She smiled at the table.

“Firelord Zuko’s been such a positive influence, wouldn’t you agree?” Xu returned.

“Oh, definitely. He’s a great one.” Sokka’s grin didn’t seem possible to stay on his face it was so wide.

“That.. all sounds awesome.” Zuko smiled, he was happy - he really was. But he was also uncomfortable being spoken about like this. 

“The Firelord’s pretty awesome.” Sokka winked at his friend.

“I’m feeling really tired.” Zuko felt he was about to snap, he didn’t want to be there anymore. The two girls looked sad as Zuko went to stand up. Sokka eyed his friend but could see the exhaustion in his face. 

“Enjoy your evening, ladies. And your education.” Sokka smiled gracefully. 

Zuko felt like a newborn hippo-giraffe as he and Sokka made their way back to the palace. Sokka tentatively followed him at the turn where they would normally say good night and when he didn’t turn to say so, he continued following. The guards exchanged looks when they saw Sokka with the Firelord so late, something Zuko was too tired and stressed to notice. When the soundproof door shut behind them, Sokka leaned on it and crossed his arms, looking into his best friend’s eyes in such a way it felt like he was looking into Zuko’s soul.

“You okay?” Sokka decided on.

“Yeah - just, needed to get out of there.” Zuko responded. “I don’t really… I can’t describe it. I just wasn’t comfortable.” Zuko looked back at his friend. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Firelord. You feel how you feel.” Sokka smiled back, gently. “Tell me, who do you imagine when you imagine someone at your side?” 

“I don’t have time for that, Sokka. I can’t imagine anyone other than my friends. You, Aang, all the others.” A large grin slowly took over Sokka’s face.

“That’s it.” He grinned.

“What’s it?”

“We pretend to date  _ each other. _ ” 

Zuko was wordless. He stared at Soka, his mouth slightly agape. Sokka’s grin froze and slowly disappeared from his face.

“I.. j-just. Thought, err, you know, it would. Save us time?” He spoke, weakly. Sokka was never unsure of himself, usually. Zuko had never heard the other man stammer before. “It was a silly idea - never mind, ignore me.” Sokka said quickly.

“No!” Zuko blurted out. “It’s brilliant.” He admitted, hurriedly, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks. “I just, it shocked me. Will it be believable?” He asked.

“Believable?” Sokka asked, confused. “We’re best friends, we can pull this off easy!”

“I mean, I… is it believable you would date me?” Zuko asked, voice getting small. He glanced down, refusing to look up at Sokka.

“What? Zuko, you know I don’t hide that I’ve slept with men in the past. Plus you’re the one who elaborately told everyone you were pan while repealing Sozin’s law.”

“Not...that.” Zuko’s voice was almost silent. Sokka took Zuko’s face between his hands and tipped his face up.

“What are you thinking about, Zuko?” Sokka asked seriously, looking into his friend’s eyes. 

“No one would believe that we’d be together.” Zuko spoke, softly, but stronger this time.

“Why?”

“You’re…” Zuko took a deep breath. “You’re handsome and beautiful, you’re a war hero and so many people fall head over heels for you and I…”

“You? Zuko, you’re everything I am and more.”

“I’m hideous.” Zuko shook his head, causing Sokka to drop his hands. In response, Sokka grabbed his friend and held him close.

“You’re beautiful, Zuko. If you mean your scar? It merely adds to your beauty. It shows your strength and resilience. There’s a reason you’re my best friend. I love you.” Sokka held onto Zuko tightly until the man’s sobs that had begun at the touch resided. 

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next week, Zuko held his tongue as yet another woman was paraded in front of him. He wasn’t even sure she was a woman yet. He was sat, not on the throne, but at the head of the table as the end of day, and therefore the week, meeting concluded.

“I would appreciate you not, Lord Chen.” Sokka smiled tightly at the woman’s father.

“Ambassador?”

“I would appreciate if all of you stop parading anyone of vague importance and under 30 in front of Zuko.” Sokka’s tone was clipped and Zuko’s breath was caught.

“What is to you, Ambassador?” The fire nation nobles had a brilliant way of making Sokka’s titles sound like an insult. Sokka picked up Zuko’s hand then pulled it up to his mouth, placing a kiss on the back of his hand. Zuko stared down, feeling the ghost of the touch of Sokka’s mouth and the warm of the warrior’s grip.

“Zuko is my boyfriend.” Sokka stated firmly. Zuko felt his heart flutter - out of anxiety, he told himself. What if the plan didn’t work?

Lady Yang squealed and clapped her hands - she had no children over the age of 10, meaning her interest in the Firelord’s love life was not personal outside of the succession. 

“Finally! We all wondered when you would go public.” She smiled at the two men who froze in surprise. 

“I, well, yes.” Zuko floundered. “Anyway, it is the weekend. Enjoy your days off.” He quickly recovered, sending a confused look to his fake boyfriend.

“And you, Firelord.” Yang spoke, bowing with a twinkle in her eye not unlike Uncle Iroh’s. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, we’re not at all surprised.” Katara spoke as Iroh poured tea into her cup. “Honestly, if anything, I’m surprised it took so long.” She smiled at Zuko and Sokka who were awkwardly sat, squashed together in the Jasmine Dragon.

The two boys had decided it were safer to tell no one of their fake relationship, incase one of their friends decided that they did, indeed, need to get married. Or Toph decided to joke about it. This had led to this conversation. 

“The way their hearts beat around each other, totally obvious.” Toph’s tone alone was enough of an eye roll. 

“I think it’s adorable!” Aang chimed in. 

“Happiness is wherever you choose to find it.” Iroh stated, smiling at the two boys. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Zuko?” Sokka asked, tentatively. 

“Yes?”

“Why does everyone think it makes sense for us to be in love?” 

Zuko was not prepared for the unspoken question to be voiced at all. He stared at the man in front of him, unwilling to admit anything. Fear, excitement and love bubbled up and mixed within him.

“I was thinking…” Sokka continued, stepping forward to his best friend. “Maybe it makes sense.” He reached out and clasped Zuko’s face between his two large hands. Zuko felt the roughness of his warrior’s hands and melted into the touch. 

“It does.” Zuko’s rough voice came.

“Can I kiss you?” Sokka asked, pleased at the nod in response. He lent forward, a chaste kiss on the lips. A promise. The first of many. 

“I suppose it makes sense, because we are.” Zuko offered, drawing back slightly to look into Sokka’s eyes before returning to a much more passionate kiss. 


End file.
